Activating T cells in tumors eliminated even distant metastases in mice, Stanford researchers found. Lymphoma patients are being recruited to test the technique in a clinical trial.

Injecting minute amounts of two immune-stimulating agents directly into solid tumors in mice can eliminate all traces of cancer in the animals, including distant, untreated metastases, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.The approach works for many different types of cancers, including those that arise spontaneously, the study found.

...Although no associations were found in this study, the possibilities of evaluating genetic biomarkers in CRC are endless. “The final message would be that these efforts of understanding the impact of genetic tumor signatures in patient outcomes definitively has a future,” Aucejo said. “Patients need to understand that that is what they should expect to see moving forward – that the oncologists and surgeons will look more and more in to genetic biomarkers in tumors.”

Patients with an inherited form of colon cancer harbor two bacterial species that collaborate to encourage development of the disease, and the same species have been found in people who develop a sporadic form of colon cancer...

...Using a mouse model of colon cancer, the researchers found that animals whose colons were colonized with just one of these species developed few or no tumors. However, when their colons were colonized with both species simultaneously, they developed many tumors, suggesting a synergy between the two types of bacteria.

...The researchers concluded: "These results suggest that the rapidly increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods may drive an increasing burden of cancer in the next decades."But they said the findings need to "be confirmed by other large-scale" studies and research was needed to establish what could be behind the link....Prof Linda Bauld, Cancer Research UK's prevention expert, said: "It's already known that eating a lot of these foods can lead to weight gain, and being overweight or obese can also increase your risk of cancer, so it's hard to disentangle the effects of diet and weight."

West Virginia resident Kellie Hoffman is one of 25 people featured in a new public service announcement playing in Times Square in March for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, according to a news release from Fight Colorectal Cancer.

Hoffman was her mother's caregiver for 10 years and has become an ambassador Fight Colorectal Cancer, an advocacy organization focused on colorectal cancer policy and research.

Sydney "Merrill Ann" Culverhouse, 16, of Opp, Ala., a junior at Opp High School, used her experience running a tornado relief T-shirt enterprise to launch another charitable endeavor: designing Alabama's first colon cancer awareness license plate. Inspired by her father's colon cancer diagnosis, Sydney worked with her art teacher to design the tag, then partnered with a colorectal cancer charity to put her plan into action; the tag is projected to raise more than $40,000 by June 2018 to support Alabama families affected by colon cancer.

NOTE: Merrill Ann Culverhouse is already registered as one of the participants in this year's (2018) Call on Congress event March 18-20, 2018.

Nitrate in groundwater and drinking water, which primarily comes from fertilisers used in the agricultural production, has not only been subject to decades of environmental awareness -- it has also been suspected of increasing the risk of cancer. The largest epidemiological study ever carried out in this area now shows that there is a correlation -- also when the amount of nitrate in the drinking water is far below the current drinking water standard.

ConclusionThe NCCN frequently recommends beyond the FDA approved indications even for newer, branded drugs. The strength of the evidence cited by the NCCN supporting such recommendations is weak. Our findings raise concern that the NCCN justifies the coverage of costly, toxic cancer drugs based on weak evidence.

Ref: Frequency and level of evidence used in recommendations by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines beyond approvals of the US Food and Drug Administration: retrospective observational studyhttp://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k668